Tournament of the Century
by TheMysticWanderer
Summary: Chapter 5 finally up. Joey and Mai's duel ends, and Amadeus duels Alexia. (ARGH LINES WILL NOT APPEAR SMASH FORMATTING)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: People own this. I don't.

Yeah, yeah, prologue, that's all this is, just to give you a bit of information on five people and the tournament.

Tournament of the Century

Prologue

--

"There you have it. As per the contest rules, each of you have given me card ideas for your own custom decks, and I have painstakingly delivered." came the silky voice of Maximillion Pegasus, raising a hand and gesturing to the five decks in front of him. He stood up, and brushed aside a bit of silver-ish hair, then crossing his arms in front of him.

"For Joseph, the deck with the power over time. Wield the ability to control its flow as you wish. Also, I've added that bit of Norse myth you wanted."

"For Alice, the deck filled to the brim with haunted, but lovely toys. I will enjoy seeing you topple your opponents with enchanted dolls."

"For Zelse, the deck with the power of music and sound. With the ability to force various curses upon your opponents, you'll find their downfall music to your ears."

"For Janus, a deck bursting with chances which yield no consequence to you should they fail, but grave danger for your opponents should they work."

"And for Exa, a deck with the brightest angels... and the darkest demons. Let your enemies taste the wrath of both Heaven and Hell."

Five people stepped from the shadows surrounding Pegasus' chair, each of varying ages. Pegasus smiled and picked up the first deck, handing it to a boy who couldn't have been older than 16, wearing a pair of slightly baggy pants and an emerald green turtleneck. The boy's brown eyes glimmered a little bit as he smiled, reaching out and taking his deck from Pegasus, bowing a little and having to brush a bit of his black hair out of his eyes with a free hand.

"Thank you, Pegasus." muttered Joseph.

The second deck went to the girl next to Joseph, who seemed to be about 21, wearing a pair of dirty, clay-ridden overalls and an equally dirty pink shirt beneath it, her red hair bound back in a ponytail. She took the deck from Pegasus' outstretched hand and nodded, her blue eyes staring intently at the top card.

"You've done a great job, Pegasus." Said Alice.

The deck in the middle went to the eerily quiet man with silver hair, who was wearing a black tuxedo with a dull grey tie straight down his chest. He held up the first card and smirked softly, his amber eyes scanning it for but a brief moment before looking back to Pegasus.

"Exact. Precise." came Zelse's quiet comment.

The next deck didn't need Pegasus' hand to deliver it. A brown-haired girl about the age of 30 scooped it up and speedily looked through all of the cards, then let out a cackle. She brushed off her scarlet dress and grinned, her fiery red eyes piercing into Pegasus' visible one.

"You did a great job, Mista Pegasus." Janus spat.

Pegasus smirked and handed the final deck to someone whose build was androgynous, and the presence of a mask hid their face from view, and their clothing was unmarked and a simple grey. The figure took the cards and said nothing, but nodded solemnly.

"I'm charmed to have met all of you, but I must be leaving now. As you know, there's going to be a tournament on an island just off the coast of Japan... and I'm a competitor. You will all be given free passage there when the time comes, and I'm sure I'll be delighted to duel one of you eventually."

The five duelists in front of Pegasus almost shrugged in absolute union before turning about and heading out of the door. Upon this newfound privacy, Pegasus sat back down and reclined in his chair, lifting a glass of fruit juice upwards to his lips.

"Whatever will be, will be. Croquet?"

An aged man with blue hair in a suit, wearing sunglasses, stepped quietly into the room from where the duelists had exited.

"Yes, Master Pegasus?"

"Make sure plenty of flyers are distributed around Domino City. Also, make sure to add Yugi Motou and Joey Wheeler to the tournament roster. I wouldn't let them miss the so-called "Tournament of the Century"."

"Yes, sir."

"Mmmhmm... I look forward to this." Pegasus said quietly to himself, grabbing a nearby remote and lowering a large Plasma TV into the room with the press of a button, then turning it on. The telltale sound of cartoons flooded the room, and the laughter of Pegasus could be heard in the halls.

--

Mmhmm. Yup. That's just the prologue to give you an insight to those five duelists, and what's going to happen. It's pretty predictable and not very long, but it's just a prologue.

I need more random duelists...


	2. Chapter 1: Kaibaland Revelation

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own this stuff. By stuff, I mean YuGiOh.

Tournament of the Century

Chapter 1 – Kaibaland Revelation

--

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Lights boomed around the duel arena, the crowd roared and cheered. It was the largest Dueling arena in all of Kaibaland, and was currently being used in a large, city-based tournament, which had progressed quite nicely.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaand here we are, ladies and gentlemen, the final match of the tournament is about to begin! On one side, we have Amadeus Kelgi, an accomplished duelist who seems to have a taste for angelic monsters!" boomed the loudspeakers, the stage lights converging on one of the duelists, a boy wearing a pair of black pants and a long-sleeved blue shirt with two white stripes down the sleeves. The boy ran a hand through his purple hair.

"His opponent is Grear McGregor, a Scottish-born girl who has shown an equal amount of skill with her use of Magical and Warrior-type monsters!"

The lights moved from Amadeus and shifted to the girl, who was wearing a green beret. Reddish hair fell to her shoulders and a face full of freckles beamed happily, her blue eyes even brighter from the light. She was wearing a green shirt with a clover on it, and a green plaid skirt.

The light shifted back to their original positions, illuminating the entire field now, each duelist stepping into their respective machine. Amadeus smiled softly and gave a wave to Grear, who returned both, setting her deck down.

"Rules are simple. 8000 life points, so it's the extended version, no card ante! Now... DUEL!" screamed the man on the loudspeakers.

Amadeus – 8000

Grear – 8000

Amadeus drew his card first, and nodded. "It's nice to know we've both gotten to the championship match, Grear. But I just can't let you win, mind you... so go, Cherub of Hope in attack mode! Then I'll end my turn." He slapped a card down on his field, and a small, poofy angel with a tiny halo and wings appeared on his end. (800/1000)

Grear nodded as well. "Oh ya, of course I know ye can't just let me win. But I'm gonna make it hard for ya to win too! I summon ya, Norse Chanter, blow 'is little cherub outta the sky with Storm of Thor!" she too set a card down, and the form of an aged man appeared, his dark green robes ripped in a couple of places, his beard trailing down to his knees. (1600/2000)

The Norse Chanter raised his arms and began speaking in ancient Nordic, and black clouds immediately appeared above him, occasionally illuminated with a white flash of lighting. A clap of thunder was heard, and then a large bolt shot from the cloud and headed right towards the Cherub of Hope.

The blast connected, but Amadeus lost no life points, and the Cherub of Hope was still floating about happily. Grear frowned a little, and Amadeus smirked.

"Grear, the Cherub of Hope can't be destroyed in battles you instigate. Also, any battle damage that comes from the Cherub is instead added to my life points."

Amadeus – 8800

Grear – 8000

"Ya little poofball cannae help ya for long, Amadeus!" Grear shouted, and placed down two more cards.

Amadeus drew another card and smiled, and set three cards down: Two in his magic/trap zone, and then a monster which came to the field from a shining portal that hovered above the field. It was wearing a long, shimmering dress, and white hair cascaded down to its feet. In its hands, it wielded a long spear, the pointed end of which shone with a white light. (1900/1500)

"I summon the Angel of Temperance in attack mode!" yelled Joseph. "Now attack the Norse Chanter!"

The angel raised its spear and charged, but flying out of nowhere a pair of glimmering silver shackles shot out and attached themselves to the Angel of Temperance's wrists, and the angel returned to its original position.

"Trap card, Amadeus. Dwarven Shackles stops ya attack, and forces ya creature inta defense mode." murmured Grear, indicating the face-up card on her field. "I suppose it's my turn now..." She drew a card and nodded.

"I sacrifice my Norse Chanter to summon Dwarven Smith to the field in attack mode!"

The Norse Chanter disappeared in a myriad of sparkles, to be replaced a burly looking Dwarf, wielding twin hammers across his blue armor-plated chest. (2450/1800)

"The special ability of the Dwarven Smith allows me ta search my deck for a field or trap card and place it inta my hand." Grear smiled and searched through her deck, pulled a card from it, and then reshuffled her deck.

"Now, I activate Stonehenge!"

Large columns of stone arose from the earth, apparently man-made and ages of years old, some knocked over, some looking like gates, appeared in a circle surrounding the Dwarven Smith.

"Now, Dwarven Smith, attack the Angel with Dual Hammer Strike!"

The Dwarf grunted and stood up, raised its hammers, and charged the Angel. The angelic creature attempted to raise its spear in defense, but the first hammer swing broke the pole in two, and the second connected directly with the Angel of Temperance's forehead, and it exploded into tiny sparkles of light.

Amadeus – 7850

Grear – 8000

Amadeus cringed. "My life points! But... how?" he asked, feeling a little angry even this early in game.

"Simple. Stonehenge allows my monsters ta deal damage to ya life points from the difference between the attack of my monster and the defense of ya own. Now I end my turn." cackled Grear.

Amadeus drew another card, gave it a glance, and set it down in his magic/trap zone, then raised a card in his hand. "I now sacrifice my Cherub of Hope to summon the Angel of Vengeance!"

The puffball Cherub was dissolved in a ray of light, and appearing in it's place was an angel clad in a full suit of platemail, a mask covering it's face, and a large, silver tower sword in it's hands. (2600/2100)

"Angel of Vengeance, attack the Dwarven Smith!"

The Angel of Vengeance flew up into the air, and brought it's mighty sword down upon the head of the Dwarven Smith, cleaving it cleanly in two.

Joseph – 5250

Grear – 7850

The Scottish girl smiled and pointed towards her single face down card, flipping it face up with a coy smile.

"The Price of Friendship! This trap card deducts ya Angel of Vengeance's attack points directly from ya life points when ya attack! Be thankful it's not a continuous trap card, Amadeus."

The boy scowled under his breath, and flipped over two cards on his field.

"Smart move Grear, but I've got the upper hand! Monster Reborn and Polymerization! I choose to revive the Angel of Temperance and fuse it together with my Angel of Vengeance!"

The Angel of Temperance reappeared on Amadeus' field, then the two monsters slowly moved closer until they touched arms, at which point the space around them became warped, followed by an eruption of light.

"I swear... if there's one more bit o' lightworks, I'm gonna go blind!" thought Grear to herself.

What was left was a larger angel, wearing only half a mask now, still wearing thick plate armor and wielding the large tower sword. There was also a blue halo above it's head, and six wings spread out from behind it. (3600/3000)

"The Angel of Judgment!" shouted Amadeus.

"Well, I don't really see the point of that, Amadeus. Ya summoned ya Angel on ya second main phase?" inquired Grear.

"You'll see, Grear. I'll set one card down and end my turn."

Grear drew and laughed inwardly to herself. "Oh, ya are in trouble now, Amadeus. First, I'm gonna play Monster Reborn to revive my Norse Chanter, and now... I'll play the magic card Runic Chant!"

The Norse Chanter rose from the bottom of the field, a soft mumbling coming from his shadowed mouth. Then, strange, blue symbols appeared in midair, and arranged themselves in a certain position.

"Gon Ful Bro Ku Zeta." Said Grear, and the runes united into one and gave off an eerie glow, then were absorbed into the body of the Norse Chanter. The magician groaned as his body was overcome with a purple aura, and he grew in size, a long twisted staff materializing in his hand, and his beard grew even longer. (2100/3000)

"This is the Rune Master, Amadeus! His special ability is one ya will get a kick out of. Ya see... he's very... persuasive... just watch."

The Rune Master raised his arms and began a small chant, drawing small blue runes in the air while he did so. The runes then arranged themselves into a circle, and moved themselves over the head of the Angel of Judgment, who's visible eye went blank, and then he moved over to Grear's side of the field.

"Now... I'm going to attack you and wipe out your life points! Go, Angel of Judgment, Rune Master, attack!" shouted Grear.

"Activate Quick Play magic card, Dawn of Triumph! This will negate all damage from one source of my choosing... the Angel of Judgment." Countered Amadeus, setting a card from his hand onto the field.

The Angel of Judgment hit a golden barrier, but the Rune Master raised his staff and shot a stream of lightning from it, which connected with the front of Amadeus' platform.

Joseph – 3150

Grear – 7950

"Oh, quick move. But ya got one turn. That's all before I finish you off! End turn."

Amadeus drew a card, gave it a small look, and sighed. Grear tilted her head to the side, peering over at the downtrodden Amadeus, who lifted his head up a bit and smiled.

"You know, Grear. It's been a fun time. We've both gotten far, but..." Amadeus' voice fell in volume, and he placed his hand on his deck, "I just couldn't get the right cards. I forfeit."

"Ya WHAT? Why I never..." Grear yelled, but was quickly cut off by another roar from the crowd at her victory, and the booming voice of the announcer as well, "It seems as though Amadeus Kelgi has placed his hand on his deck, which means he forfeits! Grear McGregor is the Champion! Let's give her a hand, folks!"

Grear was speechless. She sat there, staring at Amadeus, who gave her a thumbs-up and began collecting his cards back into his deck. She shook her head and sighed, gathering up her own cards just before the platform went back down, and she turned, meeting face to face with Maximillion Pegasus.

"Congratulations, Grear. You have shown that you truly are an accomplished duelist." Pegasus gestured to two cards on a red velvet pillow held by Croquet. "These are the cards you have won... Salvation and Armageddeon. Opposing forces, if you will... But I digress. There is a tournament coming soon... it is called "The Tournament of the Century". The top four duelists of this tournament will be given special reservations in the tournament, as well as transportation when the time comes... Grear, Amadeus, I hope to see you both again."

Pegasus picked up both cards and handed them to a very confused looking Grear, then turned around and left the area. Grear turned to her side and saw Amadeus standing there, grinning.

"Looks like there's going to be another tournament, Grear. Also.. it seems we're both in it."

The Scottish girl marched over to Amadeus, her fist nearly bending the cards she just won. "Why in the world did ya forfeit? I know ya better than that, Amadeus. I didn't want some half-rate duel."

"I didn't have any cards to help me. I didn't draw a monster... all I had was Sacrificial Light and Shining Cathedral." Murmured Amadeus, gesturing for him and Grear to leave the area.

"... And those couldn't help ya out? Well... the next time we duel, I expect you to do a lot better, Amadeus." Commented Grear, taking off her Beret and fanning herself with it.

"You can count on it, Grear."

--

"So, they have the cards now?"

"Yes."

"Very good."

--

End of Chapter 1.

Congratulations. You made it all the way through, or you're just trying to flame me or... something.

To be continued in: Chapter 2: It's all Beneficial

WolfGeneral – Thank you for your kindness, but I'd need time. I have to completely understand their personalities before I even think of adding them to the story.

Clawfang – Mai, Kaiba, and others will be in the story.


	3. Chapter 2: It's all Beneficial

Disclaimer: If I owned YuGiOh, I'd laugh at you.

Tournament of the Century

Chapter 2 – It's All Beneficial

--

"Gah, I can't believe we didn't sign up for that tournament. I coulda won easily!" spat Joey, kicking at the ground a bit.

"C'mon, it's not that bad. It's just one tournament. Besides, we've already been in enough tournaments for a lifetime." replied Yugi softly.

"You know Joey, Yugi. Once he gets going... he just never shuts up." muttered Tristan.

"Not to mention the fat head..." whispered Tea.

"Excuse me! I'm right next to you! What's with all this.... hey, look over there!" Joey pointed towards the Kame game shop just as two kids opened the door and walked inside.

"What was it, Joey? I didn't see anything." asked Yugi, scratching the side of his head.

"C'mon Yugi. Let's go see if I just saw who I thought I saw. Tea, Tristan, you guys wait here. We'll be back as fast as we can."

Before Tea, Tristan, or Yugi could say any more, Joey grabbed his smaller friend by the wrist and sped off towards the game shop, leaving a tiny cloud of dust in his wake.

"There he goes again... probably going to get himself into trouble."

"Hey Tristan... let's go follow them. It's not like Joey cares, anyways."

--

"Hello, and welcome to my game shop. I am Solomon Motou, and how may I help you?" came the voice of Yugi's grandfather.

Grear smiled. "We're here to inquire about any angelic cards you might have. My friend Amadeus here could use some more monsters."

Amadeus winced and sighed, almost breaking into blush and covering his eyes by pressing his violet hair down in front of them.

"Angelic monsters, eh... let me see your deck, Amadeus."

Amadeus reached to his side and opened his deck holder, removing his deck from within it and handing it to the old man, who started shuffling through it.

"You... you're Amadeus Kelgi, correct? Second place winner of the recent tournament?"

"Yes... that would be me."

"Then... I'm amazed you even got that far. You barely have any monsters, and a lot of your cards don't even work together. Why... if anyone saw your deck, they'd have probably though you had cheated to get that far."

The boy froze in his spot, feeling an ominous shiver work it's way up his back. Grear blinked a few times and shook her head, then grinned and hung an arm over Amadeus' shoulder. "This deck just shows how talented he is!"

Solomon smirked a bit and moved back around the counter, opening a few boxes and sifting through the contents while Amadeus and Grear watched on.

"Hey, you two! Are you the ones who got first an' second place in the recent tournament?" came a voice with a ripe New York accent.

Grear removed her arm from Amadeus hastily and turned about, crossing her arms and nodding. "That's right. I'm Grear McGregor and he's Amadeus Kelgi. And you... you're Joey Wheeler! And Yugi Motou! You both took first and second place in the Duelist Kingdom tournament!"

Yugi moved from the door to Joey's side, nodding and offering a hand to shake. Grear took it in her vice-like grip and began to shake rapidly, not noticing the strange look she received from both Amadeus and Joey.

"It's.. nice.. to... meet.. you!" Grear said while shaking, then finally let go of Yugi's hand, and stepped back. Yugi then extended his hand to Amadeus, who shook it softly. A voice echoed inside of Yugi's mind. "Do you feel that, Yugi? That strange aura? Is it coming from Amadeus?"

"I'm not sure..." replied Yugi to Yami in the safety of his mind, "But I can kind of feel it..." Before he could say any more, the door to the shop rang as someone stepped inside. Everyone except Solomon, who was still digging through boxes, turned to the see the smug grin of Seto Kaiba staring back at them.

"Well well. Yugi, Joey, and the two winners of the recent tournament. It's an amateur gathering."

"I finally found... it." Solomon placed a box onto the counter only to look over and see Seto Kaiba, the one who had torn up his most prized possession, standing there in his shop. "What are you doing here, Seto?" he asked quietly.

"I've come looking for the tournament winners... and it seems I've found them. Anyways..." Seto turned his gaze back on the four in front of him, "The tournament will be held in two days from now. I have been given..." there was a slight pause, "instructions to give you passage to the tournament. All six of you. Yes, it seems as though both Yugi and Joey have already been added to the tournament roster. But... the other two aren't here... what were their names? Tea and Tristan? It seems as though the tournament host has a thing for complete amateurs..."

Yugi frowned a bit, and Joey grinned with delight. "You mean we got invited to the newest up-and-coming tournament? Well... they must have heard of my astounding victory at Duelist Kingdom!" gloated the blonde-haired teen.

"Kaiba, you're talking about the "Tournament of the Century", right? The one all the fliers around town show? If it's such a big tournament, why in the world would they invite Tea and Tristan?" inquired Yugi.

"We got invited to a tournament?" Tea asked. Seto turned around, and sure enough, there were Tea and Tristan, looking through the barely opened door for a second before, walking in themselves, another jingle passing through the shop.

"Why in the world would me and Tea be invited to a tournament?" asked Tristan, scratching the side of his head.

"I don't know. All I know is that all of you, excluding your grandfather, will be given passage from me to the tournament on an island eerily reminiscent of Duelist Kingdom. In fact... we should be leaving right now. We're taking a boat, and we'll arrive on the day of the tournament. So go home, gather your decks, whatever you need, then come to the docks in fifteen minutes. Miss the deadline, I'm leaving you here. Now, if you excuse me, I must be leaving."

Seto took a few steps back, then turned and opened the door, heading straight towards a limousine, which he got into, then was sped off.

"... That was... strange." Mumbled Amadeus.

"Leaving so soon?! We've got to get going, Amadeus!" Grear grabbed the violet-haired youth's arm, only to be tapped on the back. She turned about to come face to face with Solomon.

"These are for Amadeus. Take them and get going." He said.

Amadeus took the cards and nodded his thanks, and was about to say "Thank you." Before Grear tugged on his arm, wrenching him out of the game shop.

Tea sighed and held a hand to her forehead. "Well... I.. guess I should go home and pack." Almost immediately, there were three cries of "Me too." In unison from Joey, Yugi, and Tristan, after which, came an uncomfortable silence. Tea waved to the group and Tristan nodded as both of them left the shop.

"I wonder what the prize is... maybe it'll be another cool three million dollars, like in Duelist Kingdom! I gotta go pack! See ya later, Yugi!" Joey speedily exclaimed, and sped out the door, faster than the rest of them.

"... Grandpa..."

"It's okay, Yugi. You go to the tournament. It's nice to see you doing so well in Duel Monsters. But..."

"Yes, Grandpa?"

"What do you think of Amadeus? His deck... was shoddy, poorly made, and couldn't support itself."

"It was? Does that mean... he cheated?"

Solomon scratched at his chin a bit. "I'm not sure. He may have... but.. I don't know. Do me a favor, Yugi, and help Amadeus out."

"You got it, Grandpa!"

--

"Kaiba."

The video screen in Seto's limo lit up, showing nothing but static, which gave no noise, but an eerie quiet. The boy looked up and frowned. "What do you want now?" he asked, scowling. "I haven't got all day."

"They're all coming, correct? All of them?" asked the light voice.

"Yes. I made sure to tell them. They'll receive their Duel disk system and Duelist cards on the ship, along with the others you asked for. Hold up your end of the bargain, and I won't have to come after you. Now leave me be."

"... As you wish, Seto Kaiba."

The screen flickered off, and the CEO leaned back a bit, staring at the ceiling of the vehicle. "Hmm... this will turn out very beneficial."

--

End of Chapter 2.

No dueling? How boring. I know. That and it's not too good at all. There'll be dueling in the next chapter, though...

To be continued in... Chapter 3: Meeting up, Dueling around


	4. Chapter 3: Meeting up, Dueling around

Disclaimer: If I owned YuGiOh, I'd have laughed already.

Tournament of the Century

Chapter 3: Meeting up, Dueling Around

--

Crowded. That was the best word to describe the docks. Well, not entirely crowded, but it was still a lot of duelists. Some of them were talking, others trading... it hardly seemed as if any of these people were actually any good at Duel Monsters, period.

Joey slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes, staring at the golden horizon as a small black shape slowly formed. He reached over and tapped Yugi on the shoulder a few times, and pointed at the sun.

"Hey, Yugi, do you see that? That looks like the ship, don't ya think?"

Yugi blinked and stared hard, narrowing his own eyes and raising a hand to block out a bit of the sun. "I'm not sure, but it looks like it..."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Yugi Motou and Joey Wheeler."

The voice of a girl filled their ears, and they immediately turned around, and standing right behind them was Mai Valentine. Yugi smiled and Joey crossed his arms, looking rather indifferent.

"Hey, Mai! It's nice to see you again? What have you been up to? Did you get invited to the Tournament too?" asked Yugi, stuffing his hands into his pockets as a chilly breeze picked up.

Mai winked and nodded. "I've just been doing what I usually do, you know... shopping, shopping, and getting anything I want!" there was a pause, "Oh... yeah. I did get invited to the tournament. It was pretty abrupt, too. Just received a letter for the special invitation... all these kids must be the ones who signed up for it down at Kaibaland."

Joey sighed and shook his head. "Mai, Mai, you never change. Why, I bet the great Joey is still better at Duel Monsters than you!"

Mai fumed and grabbed Joey by the collar of his shirt. "For your information, I've gotten a lot better since the last time Yugi beat me at Duelist Kingdom. Next time we duel, Yugi, you can kiss your winning streak goodbye!"

Yugi nodded and smiled. "I look forward to another duel with you, Mai!"

The black form on the horizon had been getting bigger all the while, and now it was the form of a ship. A large ship, possibly one of the biggest anyone at the docks had ever seen. It slowed itself down a bit, coming to a slow, steady halt right at the docks. A bridge extended, and four men in suits came right down it, forming a barrier around it as the crown suddenly attempted to converge on that one point.

Two of the men raised a microphone and spoke together, "THIS IS THE SHIP THAT WILL BE TAKING ALL OF YOU TO THE TOURNAMENT OF THE CENTURY. PLEASE APPROACH THE BRIDGE AND GIVE US YOUR INVITATIONS. UPON BOARDING THE SHIP, GET YOUR DUELIST CARD AND DUEL DISK SYSTEM INSIDE THE MAIN ROOM. YOU WILL THEN BE PAIRED WITH TWO OTHER INDIVIDUALS TO FORM A TEAM. THEN, JUST SIT THERE AND WAIT. THAT IS ALL."

Yugi, Joey, and Mai all looked over towards the ship, then back at each other with a nod. They slowly pressed through the crowd, at least until Mai got in the lead, and seriously began to push and shove the other duelists out of her way.

"There's one thing I like about Mai... when she wants to get something, she'll do stuff like this to get it... and if I'm not in her way... all the better for her to do our dirty work for us!" exclaimed Joey.

"Joey..."

Yugi's response was too silent for Joey to hear, and just a few seconds after he responded, they were at the base of the bridge to the boat. The man extended a hand to Mai and spoke in a gruff voice.

"Invitation, please."

Mai reached into her coat pocket and removed a small card, which she handed to the guard. He nodded and stepped aside, letting Mai onto the bridge. Yugi and Joey stepped up, and the guard simply moved out of the side.

"Kaiba has given us the okay to let you on board already, Yugi, Joey. Please continue."

The pair of duelists blinked, then Joey shrugged and stepped onto the bridge, with Yugi trailing behind him. Mai was waiting for them, and led them into the main room. All three gasped in awe, now knowing the sheer size of the ship... two large arenas had been placed in the very middle of the room, for people with Duel Disks to duel in without outside annoyance.

"Crystal chandeliers, candles, this place is absolutely gorgeous! It fits the perfect kind of transportation for a lady like me." Said Mai.

A group of three men stepped up to them and handed them each a Duel Disk, which they attached to their arms easily. Then, the men gave them each a simple card, with strange information on it.

"What's this... I see my name, my picture... Duelist level? Team mates?" Yugi puzzled.

"Simple. Pull off the two white squares covering the rest of the team mates square, and there will be a picture of your team mates for the tournament. Your duelist level reflects your performance, and is needed to advance." One of the men said before all three turned about, and headed back from whence they came.

Yugi blinked, and peeled off his two stickers. Immediately, a pang of panic and fear coursed through his heart at the sight of one of his team mates. Mai blinked, and pointed at Joey. "You're on MY team?"

Joey sighed and nodded. "It looks like it... and I was so hoping for a team of duelists reflecting my rank... at least we got Mako Tsunami on our team."

Mai grit her and shook Joey violently. "Your rank is the rank of children and amateurs, Joey!" She shook him a bit longer, and then looked over to Yugi, who held up his Duelist card for them to see.

Joey leaned in to look, and grinned. "Hey, you got that Amadeus kid on your team... and... MAXIMILLION PEGASUS? Hey, is this some kind of joke?!"

Joey reached out and grabbed a nearby guard. "My friend here is partnered with Maximillion Pegasus, the biggest creep in all of history! How is this possible? Tell me!"

"Both Maximillion Pegasus and Seto Kaiba are participating in the tournament. Neither of them is hosting it, but the host feels as though they should join. Now, I must be going..." the guard pulled away from Joey and walked off.

Yugi kept his gaze down for a little while longer, feeling the Millennium Puzzle pulse hotly against his chest, but then looked up, smiling a bit. "Pegasus lost his Millennium Eye, remember? He can't possibly do anything to me or Amadeus, and his skill would be a great help to my team!"

Mai shook her head. "I can't agree with you Yugi, but if you're going to be okay with it, it's best if I don't worry about you getting your soul stolen or anything like that... c'mon, Joey. Let's go find Mako so I can show him what a terrible team mate I got..."

Joey grimaced before being tugged off by the ear by Mai, who disappeared into the crowd. Before he could begin looking around, a large voice echoed throughout the ship.

"NOW, THERE WILL BE ELIMINATIONS. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE DUELIST ARENAS SET UP AT RANDOM LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SHIP. THE TEAM YOU BATTLE WILL BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY, AND IT WILL BE A TWO VERSUS TWO, THEN A ONE VERSUS ONE. THE LOSING TEAM WILL BE EJECTED, AND THE WINNING TEAM WILL STAY AND BE GIVEN A COMPETING SLOT ON THE ISLAND. TO SEE YOUR TEAM NUMBER, LOOK AT THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF YOUR CARD. THE FIRST TEAM DUELS WILL BE ONE VERSUS THREE, FIVE VERSUS FIFTEEN, TWENTY-ONE VERSUS..."

Yugi ignored the booming voice and looked to the corner of his card. A large "1" was there, and he nodded. Looking over to one of the dueling rings, he saw the number 1 and the number 3 on the side of a machine, in a digital display. He nodded and headed towards it, opening the door on the side and going in.

Amadeus was already waiting there, and Pegasus came in through the opposite amidst a crown of fans, but not wearing his usual suit, but rather a pair of brown pants and a white shirt with a green vest. Yugi's gaze locked with Pegasus' for a second, and the silver-haired man smiled, brushing a bit of hair off to the side, showing... the Millennium Eye.

Yami immediately came out, and pointed towards Pegasus with a finger, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by him, "It's a long story, Yugi-boy, but did you really think I'd let my Millennium Eye escape me in the hands of a mere child? Besides... we're on a team, and I have no intention of stealing anyone's souls today. Can we just duel together and be over with it?"

Yami frowned, but nodded as well. "As you wish, Pegasus. But try anything rash and you'll have me to deal with!"

"Excuse me, can you stop babbling like idiots and get the duel on already?" came a voice opposite their side.

A pale, large-eyed, soft purple-headed boy wearing a horrendous amount of orange has already activated his duel disk, and was waiting next to a girl with short brown hair, green eyes, and something very similar to a jumpsuit, her own Duel Disk at the ready. The third of their group lounged against the wall of the arena, a girl who wore a lavender long-sleeved shirt, blue pants, and the way her eyes looked with her black dangling about in front of them made her look tired.

"Amar and Mila. Do you think you actually stand any chance at winning?" asked Pegasus.

Amar rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter who you are, I'm going to crush you! Me and Mila will knock you guys out right now!"

"DUEL!"

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 8000

Mila – 8000

Each duelist drew five cards, and Pegasus smiled as he drew his sixth. "I'll go first, mmhmm... and I play Red Archery Girl in attack mode!"

A translucent bubble appeared with a clam inside, the bubble quickly popping and the clam opening wide, revealing a mermaid with green hair and a blue tail, and wielding a bow with a quiver on her back. (1400/1500)

"I'll also set two cards, face down... end my turn."

Yami drew a card and nodded. "I'll set one monster card face-down on the field, and then place another card down. End turn."

Amar drew a card and laughed in a deep, yet terribly annoying voice. "You don't stand a chance! I'm going to summon my Pious Maiden in attack mode and have her attack your Red Archery Girl!"

The sound of a soft weeping filled the area, and a white-robed woman appeared, giving off a small glow and wiping her face with her hands, reddish hair bouncing about. (1750/1000)

She raised her arms upwards, magical energy gathering at the tips of her fingers, then pointed them at the Red Archery Girl, her fingers crackling with electricity.

"Sorry, dear child, not today... my trap card activates! Coral Barrier! Any monster with an attack power of less than 2500 cannot break it, and it also covers my team mate as well!" said Pegasus, pointing at the ground.

The lightning flew from the fingers of the Pious Maiden just as a barrier of multicolored rock with amazing patterns upon its surface came up from the ground, absorbing the attack with ease.

"Well, you're barrier won't last long! End turn!"

Mila drew her card and slapped it down onto her duel disk. "I'm going to summon Knight of Landskron in attack mode, then play the magic card Aura of Victory!"

A Knight clad in platemail and a helmet with a "V" on the front appeared on the field, brandishing a long sword and a short sword in each hand. (1400/1400)

"And my magic card, Aura of Victory, will deal me his attack power in Life Point damage, then triple his attack power for one turn!"

A soft golden aura appeared around the Knight of Landskron, then suddenly flared outwards, shining brightly, the Knight increasing in size. (3200/1400)

"Now, Knight of Landskron, attack the Red Archery Girl!"

Pegasus raised a finger and moved it side to side. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You just activated my Permanent Trap Card! Go, Mirror, Mirror!"

A large mirror with a stone border appeared behind the coral barrier, which was deftly destroyed by the Knight of Landskron in one quick swipe. The Knight charged forward to attack the Red Archery Girl, bringing down his swords upon the clam and her.

"Gotcha!"

"Not really, child..." mumbled Pegasus, pointing at the mirror.

The mirror gathered together sparkles of energy, and released it in a beam of light directly at Amar, who raised his duel disk system and took the blast full force, with sound of decreasing life points soon after.

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 6200

Mila – 6600

"Mirror, Mirror deflects ALL Life Point damage I take from here on out to one chosen opponent. In this case, Amar." Said a smug Pegasus.

Mila grit her teeth and looked over to Yugi's side of the field, watching the Coral Barrier shimmer still, unbroken on that side.

"Why is your Coral Barrier still affecting him?"

"Simple. Because Coral Barrier is a Dual Protection card. It doesn't leave the field until you destroy both sides of it... now may we please continue?"

Mila shook her head and set a card down, then Pegasus drew again, setting two cards down on the field.

"I'm going to play Instill Vitality, allowing me one more summon or set this turn... and summon Two-Spirited Magician."

A green glow suffused around Pegasus' Duel Disk for a moment, then a light shone, revealing a green robed individual, half their face a bright white, the other half a deep black. (1000/1000)

"Now, I'll sacrifice him, and his special ability makes it as though I've just sacrificed two monsters... and use the tribute to play Ryu-Ran in attack mode!"

A large, blue spotted egg appeared on the field, evil yellow eyes peering out through a small hole. A pair of clay-red wings and legs finished the look, and a bit of fire came out of the hole. (2200/2800)

"Oh, but that's not all... the last card in my hand will show you why you should respect those who are better than you. I activate Doppelganger!"

The toonish cat swirled out of the card Pegasus just set on the field, and swooped around, doing a few circles around Pegasus before whispering into his ear.

"Is that so? Well, so be it! Doppelganger here can turn himself into ANY card that's been played. And he chose.. Aura of Victory. The good part? The 2200 damage I would receive from powering up Ryu-Ran is instead directed to Amar!"

The pair of opposing duelists took a step back, their faces showing the sudden loss of their previous attitudes.

Doppelganger unwound itself from around Pegasus, then curled around the Ryu-Ran, and dissolved into a golden aura, which appeared around Ryu-Ran for a second before flaring out exactly how it had done around the Knight of Landskron, and Ryu-Ran grew in size. (6600/2800)

"Ryu-Ran! Attack Mila's Life points directly! Finish her!"

The eggshell cracked around the diameter of the egg, and the Ryu-Ran popped out, giving a mighty roar. It turned towards Mila and tilted it's head back, then released a mighty stream of fire from it's gaping maw.

Mila cowered as the fire swept over her, wiping away the rest of her life points with that soft beeping sound.

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 4000

Mila – 0

Yami watched in amazement. "He's... gotten so much better than the last time we met! He just wiped out Mila on his second turn! And Amar is down to 4000!"

Pegasus maintained the smug face, his now empty hand waiting at his side.

--

End of Chapter 3.

Well, there you go. Dueling. It's just... yeah. Pegasus DID get his Millennium Eye back, and I'll explain how, later in the story. Until next time.

To be continued in Chapter 4: Conclusions of the Harpy


	5. Chapter 4: Conclusions of the Harpy

Disclaimer: No owning of the YuGiOh, never will. XP

Yeah, I understand how strange it is for Yugi and Pegasus to be fighting utter amateurs. Both Pegasus and Yugi WERE invited, and this is part of the tournament. It's only natural they would duel against amateurs sooner or later.

Pegasus wasn't one to turn down an invitation, and the mystery host has yet to be revealed, so… yeah.

Tournament of the Century

There's something wrong with the upload or something, because the lines that separate two parts of the chapter cannot be seen. When it switches to Yami's duel, imagine lines between them. Please.

Chapter 4: Conclusions of the Harpy

"So let me get this straight…" asked Mako, "Yugi got partnered with THE Maximillion Pegasus? The creator of Duel Monsters? The guy who hosted Duelist Kingdom?"

"The one and only. Too bad he's a real jerk, or I'd love to have him replace Joey…"

Joey frowned at Mai, who laughed quite loudly, moving over to the door and waiting. "Well? Aren't either of you going to be gentlemen and open this door for a lady?"

"You, a lady? You sure had me fooled…" muttered Joey quietly, walking over to the door and opening it, Mai shooting him a miffed glance before heading inside, followed by Mako, who looked in deep thought for a split second before returning to his usual self. Joey stepped in after them, eyes widening as he saw the opposing team.

"Weevil? Rex? Bakura? That is by far the strangest dueling team I have ever seen in my life." Said Mai, giving Bakura a light wave, which the silver-haired boy did not return.

"Eh, Bakura. What's wrong, buddy?" asked Joey, but the searing glare he received told him that this wasn't the Bakura they knew, but rather the spirit residing within his Millennium Necklace.

"Umm… Mai… I think Bakura's evil spirit thing took over his body again."

Joey prodded Mai in the side, and she nodded in return, her Duel Disk clicking together.

"It'll me and Joey…"

Weevil stepped forward, his own Duel Disk clicking together. "Versus me and Rex."

"Duel!"

Mai – 8000

Joey – 8000

Weevil – 8000

Rex – 8000

Bakura remained silent, leaning against the wall with a coy smirk on his face.

"Alright, I'll go first… and I'll play Harpie's Lady in attack mode!" said Mai, setting a card on her duel disk.

Mai's harpy shimmered into view, with flowing red hair and claws instead of hands or feet, and it gave a screech, brandishing its talons. (1300/1400)

"I'll set a card face down, too… end my turn!"

Joey reached to his deck and drew the top card, setting it into his hand.

"Hmm… I think I'll start off by playing Disgruntled Captain in attack mode!"

Joey slid a card into place, and a miffed looking man rose up on the field, clad in an entire suit of armor, his face visible for a few seconds before he lowered the visor of his helmet, raising his longsword into attack position. (1700/0)

"And then, I'll just set a couple of cards face down… and my turn's done."

"Finally, my turn!" shouted Rex, drawing a card, giving it a glance, and then setting it down without a moment's notice.

"I play Dragon of the North Wind in attack mode!"

A large, green cyclone appeared on Rex's side of the field, a shadowy figure seen within it. As the cyclone began to diminish, a bright green dragon opened up its wings and roared rather loudly. (1900/1450)

"Now, my dragon, attack the Harpie Lady with your Wind Blast!"

Mai grinned. "Bad move, Rex."

The Dragon of the North Wind reared back, and then released a large burst of wind directly at the Harpy Lady.

"I'll activate my trap card, then. Searing Wall of Fire!" said Mai, raising an arm and pointing to the raised card on her field.

A large wall of flame encircled the Harpy, and the blast connected directly with it, not doing any damage, but making the flames roar louder.

"Your attack is negated, and… you take half your monster's attack power in Life Point damage."

"What! Once I get that wall down, I'm going to crush your Harpy Lady into dust! End turn." Rex adopted his trademark frown, growling.

Mai – 8000

Joey – 8000

Weevil – 8000

Rex – 7050

Weevil drew his card and shook his head. "You must be patient, Rex. These two amateurs are trying to draw you in, and its working because you have a small fuse… just let me take care of everything. I play Twilight Hunter in attack mode!"

A large black insect with iridescent wings appeared on the field, looking much like a Praying Mantis with its claw-like arms. (1000/1000)

"I'll then add the field magic card Twilight Night…"

A large, starlit sky appeared above the duelists, and the lights went down automatically, so that only a bit of dim light and the stars above were the only sources of light.

"And now I'll end my turn."

Mai drew her next card, and set two cards down on the field.

"I'll summon Winged Sacrifice in attack mode, and then activate the ritual magic card Martyr's Light!"

A winged girl in white robes descended down upon the field, and before anything else could happen, a sword pierced directly through the girl's chest, silver blood dripping slowly down the blade, into a small pot.

"I'll have to sacrifice my Harpy Lady to finish the ritual…"

The Harpy Lady raised her arms and disappeared in a golden glow, which also went into the pot, which released a beam of light directly into the air. Mai took a card from her hand and placed it on the field.

"To summon Harpy Martyr!"

A white cloaked, blue haired harpy appeared on the field, a flail in one of its clawlike hands, a soft smile upon it's face, quite unbecoming of a harpy. (0/0)

"End turn, since my Searing Wall of Fire protects me from attack."

"My turn!"

Joey drew and looked over his cards for a second, then slid a card into his disc.

"I'll play the magic card Internal Dischord, which causes both of you," he pointed to Rex and Weevil, "to discard a card from your hand, then shuffle your hand back into your deck and draw a new one of the same amount."

Rex and Weevil looked at each other, then each of them slipped a card into the discard slot, then took our their decks and shuffled then hands in, swiftly drawing a new one.

"Then… I'll sacrifice my Disgruntled General to play Omnicube!"

The Disgruntled General disappeared, and a clear cube appeared, it's edges made of metal, the inside an eerie black, giving off a strange energy. (2000/1000)

"Now, three things happen. Disgruntled General's ability activates, and you two clowns have to discard a card from your hands. Then, I'll use Omnicube's special ability. When it's summoned, I get to search through my deck once per turn, and put any card I want on top of my deck. Third, he'll get to attack."

Rex and Weevil frowned, discarding another card while Joey rifled through his deck, sticking a card on top.

"Alright, now... Omnicube! Attack Twilight Hunter with Dimension Laser!"

The center of the cube lit up, and released a ray of energy towards the black insect. Right before it connected, the insect disappeared for a second, then reappeared behind the Omnicube, stabbing its scythe-arms into it.

"Hey, what's going on!" asked Joey.

Weevil laughed and pushed his glasses up with a finger.

"It's simple… Twilight Hunter gets to use his special ability because the field meld card, Twilight Night, is on the field. Any monster that attacks him is instantly destroyed, AND Twilight Hunter gains attack points equal to half the power of the destroyed monster!"

The insect pressed down further, and split the cube in half, the energy within dissipating and being absorbed by the Twilight Hunter, which hurried back to its original position, much bigger than before. (2000/1000)

"The only catch is, he's the only monster I can put on the field, or he'll be destroyed."

Joey growled, and then raised his arm. "I'll activate one of my two face-down cards on the field! Mass Summoning! This card can only be used on my second main phase, and forces us to draw the top five cards of our deck, and any monsters Level 7 or above are summoned to the field instantly, and the other cards are discarded! All for the mere cost of paying half my life points."

Joey – 4000

Mai – 8000

Weevil – 8000

Rex - 7050

Each duelist drew their cards, and silence ensued for a couple of seconds…

"Alright, that means I get to summon Archbishop Ferdinand in attack mode and Purification Jar in defense mode to the field!" said Mai, setting two cards down on her side.

The first monster appeared to be an aged man in robes, wielding a large ankh in one hand and a book of some sorts in the other. (2500/1000)

The second monster was an opal jar, decked with jewels, and a picture of a pair of women's hands on it, the top sealed tightly. (0/2000)

Joey snickered. "I get to play Supreme Knight and Father Time, both in attack mode!"

The Disgruntled Captain paled in comparison to the Supreme Knight that appeared. Nearly twice the size and wielding a mighty golden sword with a diamond shield in hand, he truly looked intimidating. (3000/3000)

An old man with weathered skin, wearing a white robe, appeared next to the Supreme Knight, clutching an oversized hourglass in which silver sand slowly ran through. (2000/2000)

"Now, before you go summonin' your creatures, Weevil, Rex, you should know about Father Time's ability. In 7 turns, he'll send each of you back in time, so you can see the Big Bang up close and personal. And what happens then? Game over, pals." Said Joey, smirking.

Rex laughed quite loudly and grinned. "You think I'm going to let your old man live that long? I summon Pestilence Dragon in attack mode!"

A huge, rotting, purple dragon appeared, noxious green fumes coming not only from its maw, but from the holes of missing flesh that littered its body. (2800/1000)

"Its special ability immediately takes effect! All of your monsters each lose 1000 attack and defense points while this card is in play!"

Weevil frowned a little, sending his Twilight Hunter to the discard pile, then raising two cards up. "I will summon Queen of Twilight and Venomous Spider in attack mode!"

An even larger black insect appeared on Weevil's field, this one with four scythe-like arms and a carapace that glimmered with the soft light from the stars. (2500/1500)

The second monster was a spider, a brownish-green in color, with eight hairy legs and a pair of large fangs, which secreted venom rapidly. (2300/1200)

Joey yawned a bit and smirked. "Is that all? End turn. Do your worst, Rex."

Rex drew a card and grinned. "Oh, I plan to, Wheeler. I'll activate the magic card Full Strike, which allows me to attack a monster, destroy it, and still be able to deal full attack point damage to your life points! Now, Pestilence Dragon, attack Father Time with Sickness Breath!"

The rotting dragon reared its head and shot a greenish cloud directly at Father Time, causing the old man to wither away.

Joey – 2100

Mai – 8000

Weevil – 8000

Rex – 7050

"But.. you didn't take the full 2900 damage from my attack?"

Joey smirked and pointed to his facedown card. "Nutrient Z! This little baby gives me 4000 life points when I take 2000 or more points of damage!"

Rex frowned and set a card facedown. "End turn, Wheeler."

Weevil drew a card up into his hand, and then slid two cards into his duel disk. "This is it, Joey. I'll crush you right here for humiliating me last time! I activate two magic cards! My first is Restrictive Webbing!"

Almost immediately, threads of web shot all over Joey's field, coating his Supreme Knight, who attempted to break free, but failed, still stuck within it.

"That card will stop your Knight's abilities when I attack! My second card is Blood Drain, which will transfer all of your life points, when you lose them, directly to me!"

Joey winced, eying Weevil's Queen of Twilight. He didn't have any cards that could stop it; he'd have to hope that Mai could help him out.

"Finish him, Queen of Twilight! Attack with Four-scythe Slash!"

The giant insect thundered over to the Supreme Knight, and raised all four of its scythes, preparing to strike…

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 4000

Mila – 0

"Well, well, look at this… it seems as though your boast didn't hold. You're losing, and badly at that." said Pegasus, running a few fingers through his hair while Yami continued to stare in disbelief.

Amar growled and clenched a fist. "Just take your move!"

Yami drew a card and nodded. "I'm going to flip summon my Dark Avatar to activate its special ability!"

A black shadow squirmed its way out of Yami's card, taking the form of a Dark Magician. (0/0) "I'm allowed to choose one monster card in my hand with eight stars or more and copy its attack points to Dark Avatar's!"

The Dark Avatar smiled, getting a purple aura about it, its attack points changing. "Now, my Dark Avatar, attack the Pious Maiden with Dark Magic Attack!"

The shadow copy raised its staff and released a bolt of energy, which collided with the Pious Maiden, making her explode in a flash of light.

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 3250

Mila – 0

"And I'll set one card face down. Your turn, Amar."

The youth drew a card from his deck, then looked over his hand and gave a nod.

"I'll activate the magic card Soul Absorption, which gives me 500 life points whenever a creature card is removed from play! Then I'll set two cards down and end my turn."

Pegasus smiled, his Millennium Eye giving off a small sparkle. "Right then, my turn!" He shouted, drawing a card.

"I'll play the magic card called Hand Flux! I draw as many cards as I need to have as many as you do, Amar."

Pegasus drew three cards, and smiled. "I'll activate the magic card Charged Card, which will destroy all your magic and trap cards while dealing you 500 life points for each one! I just need to discard two cards, which I will… but it activates the special ability of my Return Force!"

First, Amar's magic cards glew with a strange light, then exploded, making the duelist cringe as his life points fell once again. Then, a group of people appeared on the field, wearing leathery armor and wielding crude swords. (1000+1000/500)

"If Return Force is discarded via a card effect, it is automatically summoned to the field with a bonus one thousand attack points, giving them 2000!" said Pegasus, smiling broadly.

"Now, Return Force, defeat Amar!"

The group of people roared and charged Amar, slamming their swords into his duel disk.

Pegasus – 8000

Yami – 8000

Amar – 0

Mila – 0

"This duel is over." said Pegasus smugly.

Yeah, it took forever, I understand. I hit writer's block, though!

Yeah, something is wrong with the formatting. There's supposed to be lines inbetween Joey's and Yami's duel, but there isn't. :

Come back for the next Chapter!

To be continued in Chapter 5: A Dark conclusion


	6. Chapter 5: A Dark Conclusion

Disclaimer: I shouldn't have to repeat myself, fools.

To those who reviewed: Thank for your input. Oh, and to Seeker, I had a memory lapse when I was trying to remember Dark Magician's level. I'll fix it, and thanks for pointing it out.

Oh, and I'm aware how corny the ending of this duel is. Very aware. I just… hit a block.

Tournament of the Century

Chapter 5: A Dark Conclusion

"Not so fast, Weevil! I'm going to activate the ability of my Purification Jar! First, I'll have to get rid of it's three spell counters, which it got for every magic card played, one by Rex, two just by you, and I get to destroy one monster on the field!" shouted Mai, pointing at the opal jar on her side of the field.

"And I choose Queen of Twilight!"

The Queen of Twilight turned towards to Purification Jar, at which a ball of energy was gathering on top of its lid. Weevil grinned widely, pushing up his glasses a bit.

"Queen of Twilight's special ability activates! Normally she only destroys one monster when she's destroyed, but since the field magic card Twilight Night is out, she can destroy two! I choose Purification Jar and Supreme Knight!" yelled the bug duelist.

The Queen of Twilight turned towards Joey's Supreme Knight and gave a mighty heave, then expelled green acid all over it, the knight writhing for a bit before melting into a puddle, the only thing left being his helmet. The bug then turned back to the Purification Jar, and gave another shot of acid just as the jar shot a beam of light, effectively destroying them both.

"It doesn't matter! Wheeler doesn't have anymore monsters on the field! Venomous Spider! Attack his life points directly and finish him!" cackled Weevil.

The Venomous Spider skittered over to Joey, raising up and baring its dripping fangs for a second, then it was blindsided by the Harpy Martyr. (3000/0)

"What! How did your monster get attack points!" asked Weevil in disbelief, watching his Venomous Spider disappear into digital sparkles.

Mai sighed. "It's simple, really. I'm allowed to pay any multiple of 1000 life points to increase her attack points by that much until the end of your turn. I had to pay 4000, however, because of Rex's Pestilence Dragon. And, since a monster on my side of the field was sent to the graveyard, I get life points equal to the original defense of the monster due to Harpy Martyr's second ability."

Joey – 2100

Mai – 6000

Weevil – 8000

Rex – 7050

Weevil looked as if he was about to have a stroke, his face a bright red, thought it was obvious he was quite embarrassed by it. "Alright, go already!"

Mai drew a card. "My pleasure. Hmm.. I'll activate the magic card Raigeki! This heavenly thunderbolt will destroy all of your monsters!"

The second Mai slid the card into her duel disk, a gigantic thunderbolt shot out from right above her, and ravaged the opposite side of the playing field, Rex's monsters breaking apart from the force.

"Now, since you don't have any monsters, I'll first play the magic card Angelic Revivification! This allows me to discard any number of cards from my hand, and gain 500 life points for each one! I'll discard three to gain 1500… but the magic card Apple of Idun activates! Normally, it only restores 2000 life points to me and my teammates, but since it was discarded, it restores 3000!"

Weevil and Rex were stunned by her degree of play… apparently, it seemed they hadn't really improved at all.

Joey – 5100

Mai – 10500

Weevil – 8000

Rex – 7050

"And since Weevil is the better you two jokers, I'll take him out first! I'll pay 8000 life points to increase my Harpy Martyr's attack points by 8000! Now attack!"

Weevil screamed and fell backwards onto his rear, the Harpy Martyr flying up, and diving directly at him, slamming her weapon into his duel disk and sending him careening to the back of the arena.

Joey – 5100

Mai – 2500

Weevil – 0

Rex – 7050

"Weevil! No way! She's just too good!" said a breathless Rex, his hands shaking a bit. "I forfeit! There's just no way!"

Joey blinked, and then stomped over to Rex as the holograms disappeared, and shook his fist at the duelist. "Whaddya mean you forfeit! You can't forfeit! I didn't get to cream you!"

Rex smirked. "I didn't forfeit because I was afraid of you, Wheeler. Mai's just gotten too good… there's no way I could have won! But you count on me coming back and getting you out of the way, Wheeler! You can count on it!"

Pegasus and Yami moved to the back of the dueling arena, Pegasus humming a light tune with a happy smirk, while Yami frowned lightly, still absorbing the knowledge of Pegasus having his Millennium eye back.

"There's just... no way I can trust him. I've got to be careful… with what I say, do, AND think." muttered Yami to Yugi.

"Well, Yami, he hasn't tried anything yet… and I feel as though we can trust him for the time being… Oh! Remember to help Amadeus with the cards that grandpa gave him!"

Yami nodded, and tapped Amadeus on the shoulder. The violet-haired boy turned around, and smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Let me see your deck… my grandfather wanted me to add those cards he gave you to it."

Amadeus blinked, and then handed his deck and the newer cards to Yami, who shuffled through it, pulling out a number of cards equal to the newer ones. He handed the deck and the leftover cards to Amadeus, who nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, now I have to duel. Wish me luck!"

Amadeus stepped up into position, sliding his deck into his duel disk, the black haired girl doing the same. Then the girl spoke: "Alright, my name is Alexia, and you're going down!"

Amadeus grinned, and gave a retort: "You'll be wishing you hadn't said that by the end of this duel; I'm going all out."

"DUEL!"

Amadeus – 4000

Alexia – 4000

"I'll go first." said Alexia, drawing herself a hand. "And I'll lead with Gemini Elf."

A pair of elves appeared on the field, moving about in a dance, their motions fluid, until stopping back to back, with a grin. (1900/900)

"Your move."

Amadeus drew a card, then looked over his hand, and cringed. There were different cards, some he hadn't seen before. The youth guessed that the old man at the game shop really did know he cheated after all… but he could still win!

"I'll play Angelic Page in attack mode!"

An angel in rags appeared on the field, its tiny white wings smothered with dirt, clutching a large flag in its hands. (1200/500)

"I'll also set two cards face down. End turn."

Alexia drew her card, and then slid a card into her duel disk. "First, I'll sacrifice my Gemini Elf to summon Foolish Magician, whose effect allows me to search my deck for one card with "Magician" in its name, or one magic card, then put it into my hand."

Alexia removed her deck and pulled a card from it as her monster appeared on the field, a rather odd looking magician with a painted face and a jester's hat, waving around a silver scepter. (2000/2000)

"Then I'll activate the continuous trap card Final Countdown! In 20 turns, you'll lose the duel. All I have to do is pay 2000 life points to start the countdown."

Amadeus – 4000

Alexia - 2000

Twenty red flames encircled the area above them, and then a dark purple sky came to life above the flames, gently moving about, making a light swirl.

"Then I'll activate the continuous magic card Prohibition! I choose the magic card Heavy Storm!"

A sign rose up in front of Alexia, with a picture of the Heavy Storm magic card on it, but crossed out.

"Now, Foolish Magician! Attack his Angelic Page with Mystery Magic Attack!"

The Foolish Magician rose it's scepter, and swung it around a few times, creating a small vortex from which a tiny bomb came out, rolling over to the Angelic Page and then exploding with amazing force.

"Hold on! I activate the trap card Reversal of Power! This card switches the attack of your monster and my monster if the attack difference isn't over 1000!"

The smoke cleared, and the Angelic Page was still standing tall.

"Now, Angelic Page, counterattack!"

The angel flew over to the Foolish Magician, and swung her flag down with mighty force. A loud crack, and the magician disappeared into sparkles.

Amadeus – 4000

Alexia – 1200

Alexia growled under her breath, then slid another card into her duel disk. "I'll set this face down, and end my turn."

Amadeus drew another card into his hand, and looked over his options. "I'm going to play the magic card Sacrificial Light! This allows me to use a monster in your graveyard as a tribute, and remove it from the game in the process, by paying 1000 life points!"

The discard slot of Alexia's duel disk released a burst of light, and the Foolish Magician was removed from the game.

"I summon Glittering Angel in attack mode!"

A burst of light came from Amadeus' side of the field, and then came a cascade of sparkles, coming from the wings of an outstretched angel clad in golden armor, who raised its shining blade and smirked. (2400/2500)

"Attack, my Glittering Angel! Finish the duel!"

Alexia smiled. "Not so fast! I'll activate Blast held by a Tribute! This'll destroy all your monsters, and deal you 1000 life points of damage!"

The chest of the Glittering Angel suddenly gave off a radiant light, which turned red just before the angel itself exploded from the inside, taking the Angelic Page with it in the large blast.

Amadeus – 2500

Alexia – 1200

"Well, the special ability of my angel was triggered. I only lose half the amount of life points I would have lost." muttered Amadeus, now defenseless.

"But, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Alexia drew, and then set a card in her duel disk. "I'll play Gradius in attack mode!"

A futuristic ship appeared on Alexia's side of the field, sleek and silver, the dark figure of the pilot giving a thumbs-up. (1200/800)

"And then, I'll increase its attack power by 500 with the Wave Cannon equipment magic card!"

Two turrets appeared on the underside of the ship, and then fused with the hull, charging up energy to attack. (1700/800)

"Now, Gradius! Attack his life points directly!"

Gradius' Wave Cannons fired at the exact same time as the frontal cannons, focused right on Amadeus' duel disk, the boy steeling himself to remain on his two feet.

Amadeus – 800

Alexia – 1200

"That's not all. Since I equipped him with the Wave Cannon equipment card, Gradius also gains an additional 300 attack points every time it causes battle damage!"

The Wave Cannons on the Gradius fighter shone, and then suddenly each was given an extra barrel to fire from. (2000/800)

"Heh. That's exactly what I wanted you to do. Activate trap card, Bound to the Master!" Amadeus said, pointing to the card on his side of the field.

"This trap card can only be activated when I take direct damage that lowers my life points to less than 1000, have no other cards on the field, and it automatically allows me to summon Shining Protector from my deck or hand!"

Amadeus reached down and took out the card that slid out automatically from inside his deck, and set it onto the field. The form of a giant leonine figure appeared in front of him, then glow fading to reveal a golden lion, its fangs bared at Alexia. (2500/1700)

Alexia smirked softly, then slid a card into her duel disk. "That golden kitten can't save you from your inevitable loss! I'll set one card face down, and end my turn."

Amadeus looked over his hand, drawing a new card, and considered his options for a fleeting moment before setting a card on his duel disk. "I'll set one monster card face down, and another in my magic and trap zone… then I'll have my Shining Protector attack your Gradius!"

The golden lion leaped up into the air, aiming to land directly onto the futuristic ship, but was suddenly hit by a flurry of small, shining orbs which knocked it right back into its original position.

"My quick-play magic card, Shield of Wisps, negates your attack on my monster and allows me to draw one card. Thank you."

Amadeus frowned and waved his hand away, signaling her to take her move. Alexia drew her card, then slid a card into her duel disk.

"I'll activate the magic card Eventual Upgrade! This allows me to sacrifice a Gradius with 2000 or more attack points to search for a machine monster with seven or more stars and summon it to the field… and I'll choose Thunder Force – Mark IV!"

As Gradius disappeared, it was replaced by a larger version of itself, it seemed, except the new version had a larger wingspan and a giant cannon atop it. (2600/2000)

"And then I'll equip it with the magic of Dual Orb Option, which increases its attack and defense by 500 points!"

Two orbs appeared around the ship, swirling around it, each of them gathering energy and gaining a small electrical field around them, transferring this energy to the ship. (3100/2500)

"And now, I'll play the machine creature Bit!"

A small green orb appeared next to the Thunder Force ship, giving off a light hum. (0/0)

"Now, my Thunder Force – Mark IV! Attack his Shining Protector with Beam Sword Cannon!"

One of the orbs moved to the top of the ship, while the other went to the bottom. Each orb gathered a large electrical charge, then a blue field appeared around the ship. Amadeus braced for impact as the orbs each released a wave of lightning, and the blue field shone with a bright light, suddenly shooting out towards his Shining Protector like a sword, utterly obliterating it.

Amadeus – 200

Alexia – 1200

"Just give it up, Amadeus. There's no way you can beat my Thunder Force ship."

Amadeus growled softly, so close to losing the duel…

End of Chapter 5.

You're probably wondering, "What the hey? I see no conclusion! And that forfeit was stupid!"

Yeah, yeah, don't kill me yet. There's a pretty good reason for that.

To be continued in:

Chapter 6: Shadows About


End file.
